Pattern recognizing appliance

ABSTRACT

A food preparation appliance includes a housing, a conveyor, a thermal element, a first sensor, a second sensor, and a third sensor. The housing defines an inlet, an outlet, and a processing zone between the inlet and the outlet. The conveyor is configured to move a food product from the inlet, through the processing zone, and to the outlet. The thermal element is positioned within the processing zone. The first sensor is positioned proximate the inlet of the housing and along a lateral side of the conveyor or along a first cantilever arm extending laterally across the conveyor. The second sensor is positioned within the processing zone. The third sensor is positioned proximate the outlet of the housing and along a lateral side of the conveyor or along a second cantilever arm extending laterally across the conveyor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/984,006, filed May 18, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/508,822, filed May 19, 2017, bothof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Food service appliances typically include a control screen thatfacilitates selecting a particular product to be heated, warmed,toasted, and/or cooled. The appliance may then implement apre-programmed control strategy that adjusts a variety of settings suchas speed, temperature, etc. for the selected product. Such a process canbe time consuming in use and is prone to input errors by the user. Thisprocess also requires the use of expensive input panels with graphics.

SUMMARY

One embodiment relates to a food preparation appliance. The foodpreparation appliance includes a housing, a conveyor, a thermal element,a first sensor, a second sensor, and a third sensor. The housing definesan inlet, an outlet, and a processing zone between the inlet and theoutlet. The conveyor is configured to move a food product from theinlet, through the processing zone, and to the outlet. The thermalelement is positioned within the processing zone. The first sensor ispositioned proximate the inlet of the housing and along a lateral sideof the conveyor or along a first cantilever arm extending laterallyacross the conveyor. The first sensor is configured acquirepre-processing data regarding a pre-processing characteristic of thefood product to be processed by the food preparation appliance. Thesecond sensor is positioned within the processing zone. The secondsensor is configured to acquire processing data regarding an in-processcharacteristic of the food product. The third sensor is positionedproximate the outlet of the housing and along a lateral side of theconveyor or along a second cantilever arm extending laterally across theconveyor. The third sensor is configured to acquire post-processing dataregarding a post-processing characteristic of the food product.

Another embodiment relates to a food preparation appliance. The foodpreparation appliance includes a housing, a conveyor, a sensor, aheating element, and a controller. The housing defines an inlet, anoutlet, and a processing zone between the inlet and the outlet. Theheating element is positioned within the processing zone. At least oneof (i) the conveyor includes a plurality of independently controllableconveyors arranged side-by-side or (ii) the heating element includes aplurality of independently controllable heating elements. The controllerhas programmed instructions to receive data from the sensor regarding aplurality of food products on the conveyor to facilitate tracking theplurality of food products as the plurality of food products are movedthrough the processing zone simultaneously by the conveyor, the dataincluding information regarding (i) a respective type of each of theplurality of food products and (ii) a positioning of the plurality offood products relative to one another; and variably control operation ofat least one of the conveyor or the heating element based on the data tofacilitate variably processing the plurality of food products as theplurality of food products are moved through the processing zonesimultaneously by the conveyor to achieve target processing for each ofthe plurality of food products.

Still another embodiment relates to a food preparation appliance. Thefood preparation appliance includes a housing, a conveyor, and a heatingelement. The housing defines an inlet, an outlet, and a processing zonebetween the inlet and the outlet. The conveyor is configured to movefood products from the inlet, through the processing zone, and to theoutlet. The heating element is positioned within the processing zone.The conveyor and the heating element are configured to facilitateproviding independent zone processing such that multiple food productscan be processed simultaneously with different operating parameters asthe conveyor moves the multiple food products through the processingzone simultaneously.

The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being carried outin various ways. Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to otherfeatures and combinations of features as may be recited herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will become more fully understood from the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food preparation appliance, accordingto an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a food preparation appliance, accordingto another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a food preparation appliance, accordingto still another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a food preparation appliance, accordingto yet another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a food preparation appliance, accordingto still yet another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a food recognition system of a foodpreparation appliance, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a food preparation process performed bya processing mechanism of a food preparation appliance, according to anexemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method for automatically setting operatingparameters of a food preparation appliance, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the exemplaryembodiments in detail, it should be understood that the presentapplication is not limited to the details or methodology set forth inthe description or illustrated in the figures. It should also beunderstood that the terminology is for the purpose of description onlyand should not be regarded as limiting.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a food preparation appliance(e.g., a toaster, a toaster oven, a microwave, a conveyor oven, etc.)includes a food recognition system (e.g., a camera, a sensor, a weightscale, a scanner device, a processing circuit, etc.) is configured tofacilitate automatic input control of the food preparation appliance.The food recognition system may be configured to scan and/or utilizephotographic and/or pattern recognition software to recognize (e.g.,determine, identify, categorize, locate, etc.) a food product and/or anumber of portions of a food product (e.g., one item, four items, etc.)entering and/or within the food preparation appliance to be heated,warmed, toasted, or cooled (e.g., based on shape, color, texture, size,weight, etc.). The food recognition system may also include a scaleconfigured to weigh the food product put onto and/or into the foodpreparation appliance. The food recognition system may analyze suchweight information to further determine the size, location, number ofportions, and/or identity of the product to be cooled, warmed, heated,and/or cooked.

The food recognition system may further be configured to automaticallyset the food preparation appliance to predefined operating parametersbased on the identity, category, type, location, shape, size, weight,etc. of the food product for target (e.g., optimum, etc.) operation ofthe food preparation appliance and to provide an end product havingtarget (e.g., desired, etc.) characteristics. The operating parametersmay include the speed of a processing mechanism (e.g., a conveyor, aturntable, etc.), a temperature of a thermal element (e.g., a heatingelement, a cooling element, etc.), a humidity level, an elapsed time(e.g., a heating time, a cooling time, etc.), and/or still otherparameters. Food cooking, heating, warming, toasting, and coolingappliances in addition to a variety of food processing equipment aretypically controlled manually by inputting the particular food to becooked, heated, warmed, toasted, cooled, or frozen into an input panel.This panel may be a touchscreen or other type of input panel. Accordingto an exemplary embodiment, the food preparation appliance of thepresent disclosure advantageously automates these functions providing afaster and more error proof entry system through the automaticdetection/recognition of the food product being processed (e.g., heated,warmed, cooked, cooled, frozen, etc.).

According to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5, a device,apparatus, or appliance, shown as food preparation appliance 10, isconfigured to at least one of heat, warm, toast, bake, broil, cook,cool, and freeze one or more products, shown as food products 18 (e.g.,a bagel, bread, a muffin, a pastry, a sandwich, an English muffin, ahamburger patty, a hot dog or other sausage, a chicken breast, a steak,a fish filet, etc.). According to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.1, the food preparation appliance 10 is configured as a line conveyoroven 50. According to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the foodpreparation appliance 10 is configured as a conveyor toaster 52.According to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the foodpreparation appliance 10 is configured as a toaster 54. According to theexemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the food preparation appliance 10is configured as a toaster oven 56. According to the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 5, the food preparation appliance 10 isconfigured as a microwave oven 58. According to another exemplaryembodiment, the food preparation appliance 10 is still another type offood preparation appliance such as a conventional oven, a convectionoven, an air fryer, a grill, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the food preparation appliance 10 includes ahousing, shown as oven housing 12; a processing mechanism, shown as foodprocessing mechanism 20; a thermal element, shown as thermal element 30;an interface, shown as user interface 40; and a detection,identification, and/or recognition system, shown as food recognitionsystem 100. The oven housing 12 defines with a first aperture, shown asinlet 14, through which the food products 18 are inserted into the foodpreparation appliance 10, and a second aperture, shown as outlet 16,through which the food product 18 exit the food preparation appliance 10after being processed (e.g., warmed, heated, toasted, cooked, broiled,baked, cooled, frozen, etc.). The top, sides, and back of the ovenhousing 12 may be insulated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the food processing mechanism 20 isconfigured as a conveyor system, shown as conveyor 22. The conveyor 22includes a first zone (e.g., an inlet conveyor portion, an inlet chute,etc.), shown as entry zone 24; a second zone (e.g., a heating zone, acooling zone, etc.), shown as processing zone 26; and a third zone(e.g., an exit conveyor portion, an exit chute, etc.), shown as exitzone 28. According to an exemplary embodiment, the conveyor 22 isconfigured to move the food products 18 (e.g., the conveyor 22 is drivenby a motor, etc.) from the entry zone 24, through the processing zone26, and out to the exit zone 28 such that the food products 18 may beprocessed (e.g., warmed, heated, toasted, cooked, broiled, baked,cooled, frozen, etc.) by the food preparation appliance 10 (e.g., thethermal element 30 thereof, etc.). In other embodiments, the foodprocessing mechanism 20 is configured as a different type of processingmechanism. By way of example, the microwave oven 58 may include aturntable processing mechanism that rotates a food product 18 within themicrowave oven 58. By way of another example, the toaster 54 may includea manually and/or automatically translatable processing mechanism orcage that actuates up and down to lower and eject a food product 18 intoand out of the toaster 54.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the thermal element 30 is positioned withinthe oven housing 12 proximate (e.g., above, on the sides, below, etc.)the processing zone 26 of the food processing mechanism 20. According toan exemplary embodiment, the thermal element 30 is configured to warm,heat, toast, cook, broil, bake, cool, and/or freeze the food products 18within the processing zone 26. According to the exemplary embodimentsshown in FIGS. 1-5, the thermal element 30 includes a heating element(e.g., an induction coil, a radiative heating coil, a fan/blowerelement, a Peltier device, etc.) configured to thermally regulate theprocessing zone 26 such that a food product 18 within and/or movingthrough the processing zone 26 is processed (e.g., warmed, heated,toasted, cooked, broiled, baked, etc.) to desired conditions (e.g.,lightly toasted, medium toasted, medium rare, medium well, etc.). In oneembodiment, the heating element is configured to provide a radiativeheating operation. In another embodiment, the heating element isconfigured to provide a convective heating operation. In still anotherembodiment, the heating element is configured to provide a conductiveheating operation. In some embodiments, the heating element isconfigured to provide at least one of a radiative heating operation, aconvective heating operation, and a conductive heating operation. Insome embodiments, the thermal element 30 additionally or alternativelyincludes a cooling element (e.g., a thermoelectric cooler, a Peltierdevice, cooling coils, a refrigeration system, etc.) configured tothermally regulate the processing zone 26 such that a food product 18within and/or moving through the processing zone 26 is processed (e.g.,cooled, etc.) to desired conditions (e.g., chilled, frozen, etc.).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 40 facilitatescommunication between an operator (e.g., cook, chef, staff member, etc.)of the food preparation appliance 10 and one or more components (e.g.,the food processing mechanism 20, the thermal element 30, the foodrecognition system 100, etc.) of the food preparation appliance 10. Byway of example, the user interface 40 may include at least one of aninteractive display, a touchscreen device, one or more buttons (e.g., astop button configured to turn the unit off, buttons allowing a user toset a target temperature, buttons to turn a lighting element on and off,etc.), and switches. In one embodiment, the user interface 40 includes anotification device (e.g., alarm, light, display, etc.) that notifiesthe operator when the food preparation appliance 10 is on, off, in astandby mode, in a heating mode, and/or in a cooling mode. An operatormay use the user interface 40 to manually set operating parameters ofthe food preparation appliance 10 and/or set predefined parameters forthe food preparation appliance 10 (e.g., that may be automaticallyimplemented by the food preparation appliance 10 based on determinationsmade by the food recognition system 100, etc.). In some embodiments, theuser interface 40 is provided by a portable device (e.g., a smartphone,a tablet, a smartwatch, a laptop, etc.) wirelessly coupled (e.g., viaWi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) to the food preparation appliance 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the food recognition system 100 is positionedon the outside of the oven housing 12 of the food preparation appliance10, proximate the inlet 14 of the oven housing 12. In some embodiments,at least a portion of the food recognition system 100 is additionally oralternatively positioned within the oven housing 12 proximate theprocessing zone 26 of the food processing mechanism 20. In someembodiments, at least a portion of the food recognition system 100 isadditionally or alternatively positioned on the outside of the ovenhousing 12 of the food preparation appliance 10, proximate the outlet 16of the oven housing 12. In some embodiments, at least a portion of thefood recognition system 100 is additionally or alternatively positionedproximate the entry zone 24 of the food processing mechanism 20. In someembodiments, at least a portion of the food recognition system 100 isadditionally or alternatively positioned proximate the exit zone 28 ofthe food processing mechanism 20.

As shown in FIG. 6, the food recognition system 100 includes acontroller system, shown as controller 110, and a sensor system, shownas food recognition device 120. In one embodiment, the controller 110 isconfigured to selectively engage, selectively disengage, control, and/orotherwise communicate with components of the food preparation appliance10 and/or the food recognition device 120. As shown in FIG. 6, thecontroller 110 is coupled to the food processing mechanism 20 (e.g., amotor that drives a conveyor or turntable, etc.), the thermal element 30(e.g., a heating element, a cooling element, etc.), the user interface40, and the food recognition device 120. In other embodiments, thecontroller 110 is coupled to more or fewer components. By way ofexample, the controller 110 may send and receive signals with the foodprocessing mechanism 20, the thermal element 30, the user interface 40,and/or the food recognition device 120.

The controller 110 may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), a digital-signal-processor (DSP),circuits containing one or more processing components, circuitry forsupporting a microprocessor, a group of processing components, or othersuitable electronic processing components. According to the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 6, the controller 110 includes a processingcircuit 112 and a memory 114. The processing circuit 112 may include anASIC, one or more FPGAs, a DSP, circuits containing one or moreprocessing components, circuitry for supporting a microprocessor, agroup of processing components, a graphics card, or any other suitableelectronic processing components. In some embodiments, the processingcircuit 112 is configured to execute computer code stored in the memory114 to facilitate the activities described herein. The memory 114 may beany volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium capable ofstoring data or computer code relating to the activities describedherein. According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory 114 includescomputer code modules (e.g., executable code, object code, source code,script code, machine code, etc.) configured for execution by theprocessing circuit 112. By way of example, the computer code may be alearning algorithm that includes a deep learning algorithm or a neuralnetwork algorithm. The learning algorithm may learn from previousoperating cycles and improve over time (e.g., become more accurate andprecise over continued use and additional operating cycles, etc.).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the food recognition device 120 isconfigured to acquire data regarding one or more food products 18 (i)entering the food preparation appliance 10 (e.g., to be processed withinthe processing zone 26 by the thermal element 30, pre-processing, etc.),(ii) within the processing zone 26 of the food preparation appliance 10(e.g., being processed, etc.), and/or (iii) exiting the food preparationappliance 10 (e.g., post-processing, etc.). By way of example, the dataregarding the one or more food products 18 entering and/or within theprocessing zone 26 may include identifying characteristics (e.g.,identifying data, etc.) such as a size (e.g., width, length, thickness,etc.), a shape (e.g., round, square, bagel shaped, bread shaped, muffinshaped, etc.), a color (e.g., a solid color, multicolor, a light color,a dark color, spotted, etc.), a texture (e.g., plain, smooth, rough,bumpy, etc.), a weight, a number of portions (e.g., one item, fouritems, half an item, etc.), nutrition content (e.g., fat content, etc.),and/or still other identifying characteristics of the food product(s)18. By way of another example, the data regarding the one or more foodproducts 18 within and/or exiting the processing zone 26 may includeprocessing characteristics (e.g., processing data, etc.) including achange in color (e.g., darkening from a heating process, etc.), a changein size (e.g., a reduction in size in response to cooking, etc.), achange in texture (e.g., melted, crispy, etc. in response to a heatingprocess), a change in temperature (e.g., a decrease in temperature, anincrease in temperature, etc.), and/or a change in weight of the foodproducts 18 in response to the processing (e.g., heating, warming,cooking, toasting, broiling, baking, cooling, freezing, etc.) performedby the food preparation appliance 10.

In another embodiment, the controller 110 is configured to evaluate datarelating to the one or more food products 18 (e.g., before they enterthe food preparation appliance 10, as they enter the food preparationappliance 10, etc.), determine one or more potential features (e.g.,identities, etc.) of the one or more food products 18, and interfacewith the user interface 40 to display information (e.g., graphicalrepresentations, text, etc.) relating to the one or more potentialfeatures. The user interface 40 may further facilitate a userverification of the one or more food products 18 and/or an interface bywhich the user may initiate operation of the food preparation appliance10 (e.g., a start icon or button, etc.). The operation of the foodpreparation appliance 10 may be tailored to the specific one or morefood products 18. By way of example, the user may provide a blueberrybagel for processing. The controller 110 may evaluate data collected bythe food recognition device 120 and determine that the one or more foodproducts 18 could be a blueberry bagel or a chocolate chip bagel. Thecontroller 110 may interface with user interface 40 to present images ofa blueberry bagel and a chocolate chip bagel. The user may select theblueberry bagel and press a start icon to initiate processing. Thesystem may have a pre-selected option (e.g., the blueberry bagel, etc.)that corresponds with the potential feature the controller 110determines is more likely associated with the one or more food products18. The system may proceed with processing if the user has not made averification within a preset period of time (e.g., potentiallyindicating that the user has walked away from the food preparationappliance 10, etc.). The selection by the user may be used by thecontroller 110 as part of a self-learning algorithm and thereby improvefuture operation of the food preparation appliance 10 (e.g., assessmentof the one or more potential features of the one or more food products18, etc.).

The food recognition device 120 may include one or more sensorsconfigured to acquire the data (e.g., the identifying characteristics,the processing characteristics, etc.) regarding the one or more foodproducts 18 entering, within, and/or exiting the processing zone 26 ofthe food preparation appliance 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the one or moresensors include a first sensor, shown as scanner 122; a second sensor,shown as camera 124; a third sensor, shown as weight scale 126; a fourthsensor, shown as humidity sensor 128; and a fifth sensor, shown astemperature sensor 130. In some embodiments, the food recognition device120 additionally or alternatively includes other types of sensorsconfigured to acquire the data regarding the one or more food products18 entering, exiting, and/or within the processing zone 26 of the foodpreparation appliance 10. In some embodiments, the food recognitiondevice 120 does not include one or more of the scanner 122, the camera124, the weight scale 126, the humidity sensor 128, and/or temperaturesensor 130. In some embodiments, the food preparation appliance 10includes a plurality of scanners 122, a plurality of cameras 124, aplurality of weight scales 126, a plurality of humidity sensors 128,and/or a plurality of temperature sensors 130 variously positioned aboutthe food preparation appliance 10. By way of example, one or more of theplurality of scanners 122, the plurality of cameras 124, the pluralityof weight scales 126, the plurality of humidity sensors 128, and/or theplurality of temperature sensors 130 may be positioned above, below, tothe sides, and/or at an angle relative to the food products 18 that aremoved through or within the food preparation appliance 10.

The scanner 122 may be configured to acquire data regarding the size,the change in size, the shape, the change in shape, the color, thechange in color, the texture, the change in texture, and/or number ofportions of the food products 18 entering, within, and/or exiting theprocessing zone 26 of the food preparation appliance 10. The foodpreparation appliance 10 may include one or more scanners 122 positionedat the entry zone 24, the inlet 14, the processing zone 26, the outlet16, and/or the exit zone 28.

The camera 124 may be configured to acquire data regarding the size, thechange in size, the shape, the change in shape, the color, the change incolor, the texture, the change in texture, and/or number of portions ofthe food products 18 entering, within, and/or exiting the processingzone 26 of the food preparation appliance 10. In one embodiment, thecamera 124 is a still photography camera configured to acquire stillphotographs or images. In some embodiments, the camera 124 is configuredto take one image or multiple images of the same food product 18 forprocessing by the controller 110. In another embodiment, the camera 124is a video camera configured to acquire video. In some embodiments, thecamera 124 has an infrared imaging capability that facilitatesidentifying the heat radiated by the food products 18. Such an infraredimaging capability may facilitate monitoring a change in temperature ofthe food products 18 over time (e.g., for determining doneness, etc.).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the camera 124 is positionable is variouslocations about the food preparation appliance 10 proximate the entryzone 24 and the inlet 14 (e.g., positioned directly above the inlet 14,positioned laterally at a side of the entry zone 24. As shown in FIG. 1,in some embodiments, the food preparation appliance 10 includes an arm,shown as cantilever arm 140, that extends laterally across the entryzone 24 of the conveyor 22. One or more of the cameras 124 may bepositioned on the cantilever arm 140. In some embodiments, the scanner122 and/or the temperature sensor 130 are additionally or alternativelypositioned on the cantilever arm 140. In some embodiments, the foodpreparation appliance 10 additionally or alternatively includes a secondcantilever arm 140 that extends laterally across the exit zone 28 of theconveyor 22. In some embodiments, the camera 124 is otherwise positioned(e.g., above, below, to the sides, at an angular position, etc. relativeto food products moving through the food preparation appliance 10). Insome embodiments, the food preparation appliance 10 includes a pluralityof the cameras 124 variously positioned about the food preparationappliance 10. In some embodiments, the food preparation appliance 10includes an array of cameras 124 that extend across the entry zone 24,the inlet 14, the processing zone 26, the outlet 16, and/or the exitzone 28.

The weight scale 126 may be configured to acquire data (e.g., weightdata, etc.) regarding the weight and/or the change in weight of the foodproducts 18 entering, within, and/or exiting the processing zone 26 ofthe food preparation appliance 10. The food preparation appliance 10 mayinclude one or more weight scales 126 positioned at the entry zone 24,the inlet 14, the processing zone 26, the outlet 16, and/or the exitzone 28 (e.g., underneath the food processing mechanism 20, etc.). Insome embodiments, the weight scale 126 is configured to self-calibrateprior to a new load being placed on or traveling across the weight scale126 (e.g., each time a food product 18 finishes passing over the weightscale 126, etc.). The humidity sensor 128 may be configured to acquiredata (e.g., humidity data, etc.) regarding a humidity level within theprocessing zone 26. The humidity sensor 128 may be positioned in theprocessing zone 26 within the oven housing 12. In some embodiments, thefood preparation appliance 10 include a humidifier configured tofacilitate selectively modulating (e.g., with the controller 110, etc.)the humidity level within the processing zone 26. The temperature sensor130 may be configured to acquire data (e.g., temperature data, etc.)regarding a temperature within the processing zone 26, of the thermalelement 30, and/or of the food products 18 (e.g., a pre-processingtemperature, a change in temperature during processing, apost-processing temperature, etc.).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller 110 is configuredto receive the data (e.g., the identifying data, the processing data,the weight data, the humidity data, the temperature data, etc.)regarding the one or more food products 18 entering, within, and/orexiting the food preparation appliance 10. The controller 110 is thenconfigured to analyze the data and set control parameters of the foodpreparation appliance 10 to automatically process the food products 18based on the data.

By way of example, the controller 110 may be configured to determine(e.g., identify, locate, recognize, categorize, classify, etc.) a type,a class, and/or a category of a food product 18 based on the identifyingcharacteristics included in the data. For example, the controller 110may be configured to determine the type, the class, and/or the categoryof a food product 18 based on the shape, the size, the color, thetexture, nutrition content, and/or the weight of the food product 18. Asan example, the controller 110 may be configured to compare theidentifying characteristics to a database of predefined identifyingcharacteristics of various food products (e.g., stored in the memory114, etc.). The controller 110 may then identify the type, class, and/orcategory of the food product after such comparison. By way of example,the types, classes, and/or categories may include bread, bagels,muffins, pastries, meat, etc.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to determine(e.g., identify, recognize, sub-categorize, sub-classify, etc.) asub-type, a sub-class, and/or a sub-category of the food product 18based on the identifying characteristics. By way of example, thecontroller 110 may be configured to determine the specific type of bagel(e.g., plain, cinnamon raisin, everything, onion, asiago cheese, etc.).By way of another example, the controller 110 may be configured todetermine the specific type of bread (e.g., a slice of bread, a loaf ofbread, a baguette, an English muffin, a roll, etc.; sourdough, rye,white, Italian, French, pumpernickel bread, etc.; etc.). By way ofanother example, the controller 110 may be configured to determine thespecific type of muffin (e.g., chocolate chip, banana nut, blueberry,etc.). By way of another example, the controller 110 may be configuredto determine the specific type of meat (e.g., chicken, beef, pork, lamb,venison, fish, etc.), a cut of meat (e.g., filet, back strap,tenderloin, leg, thigh, breast, ribs, etc.), a fat content of the meat,and/or other defining characteristics of meat (e.g., in a patty shape, asausage link, etc.) such that the meat can be heated and cooked properlyto the appropriate doneness for consumption.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to provide amessage on the user interface 40 if the controller 110 is unable toidentify what a respective food product 18 is with sufficient accuracy(e.g., the confidence level for the respective food product is below apredefined threshold, etc.). By way of example, the controller 110 maynarrow down a food product 18 to be either a blueberry bagel or achocolate chip bagel. The controller 110 may then provide an operatorwith the option to choose between the two or to indicate the foodproduct 18 is different than the options provided via the user interface40. In some embodiments, the controller 10 is configured to requestconfirmation of the identified food product 18 and/or a desired donenessfor the identified food product 18 via the user interface 40 prior tostarting. The operator may simply select “start” if the food product 18has been properly identified and/or may enter a desired doneness for thefood product 18 (e.g., rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, etc.; alevel of toastedness; etc.).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller 110 is configuredto automatically set operating parameters of the food preparationappliance 10 based on at least one of (i) the type, class, and/orcategory of the food product 18, (ii) the sub-type, sub-class, and/orsub-category of the food product 18, and (iii) the doneness informationprovided by the operator (e.g., based on predefined operating parametersstored in the memory 114 for the type and/or sub-type, etc.). By way ofexample, the operating parameters may include the speed of the foodprocessing mechanism 20 (e.g., the conveyor 22, a turntable, etc.), atemperature of the thermal element 30 (e.g., a heating element, acooling element, etc.), a humidity level within the processing zone 26(e.g., provided by the humidifier, etc.), an elapsed processing time(e.g., a heating time, a cooling time, etc.), and/or still otherparameters.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to adjust theoperating parameters based on the size, weight, number of portions,and/or temperature of the food product 18 entering the processing zone26. By way of example, if the food product 18 is relatively thin, small,and/or light, different operating parameters may be used relative to ifthe food product 18 were relatively thicker, larger, and/or heavier(e.g., a faster speed and/or a lower temperature for thinner foodproducts, a slower speed and/or a higher temperature for thicker foodproducts, etc.). By way of another example, different operatingparameters may be used for a lesser quantity of food products relativeto a greater quantity of food products. For example, the speed may bereduced and/or the time increased when a relatively greater quantity offood products are introduced simultaneously. By way of another example,different operating parameters may be used for food products havingvarying initial temperatures. For example, the time, speed, and/ortemperature of the food preparation appliance 10 may be different for afrozen food product versus a room temperature food product.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to estimate theweight of a food product 18 based on the identifying characteristics(e.g., in embodiments that do not include the weight scale 126, etc.).For example, the controller 110 may be configured to estimate the weightof the food product 18 based on the category, subcategory, and/or sizeof the food product 18.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to alter or modifythe current operating parameters of the food preparation appliance 10and/or the predefined operating parameters (e.g., stored in the memory114, etc.) based on the processing characteristics (e.g., a change incolor, a change in size, a change in texture, a change in temperature, achange in weight, etc.) of the food product 18 being processed or thathas finished being processed. By way of example, the controller 110 mayrecognize that a food product 18 is processing too quickly (e.g.,potential of being overcooked, burned, too hot etc.) or too slowly(e.g., potential of being undercooked, too cold, etc.). In someembodiments, the controller 110 is configured to alter or modify thecurrent operating parameters to either slow or quicken the processing ofthe food product based on the processing characteristics. In someembodiments, the controller 110 is configured to alter or modify thepredefined operating parameters such that food products 18 of the sametype, category, class, sub-type, sub-category, and/or sub-class are moredesirably processed (e.g., an optimal amount of cooking, etc.) by thefood preparation appliance 10 in the future.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to detect when asensor of the food recognition device 120 (e.g., the scanner 122, thecamera 124, etc.) is dirty or otherwise obscured (e.g., a lens thereofis dirty, etc.). The controller 110 may be configured to thereafterprovide an indication of such on the user interface 40 to notify anoperator that cleaning of the food recognition device 120 may be needed.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to generate agraphical representation of the food products 18 and the position of thefood products 18 along the food processing mechanism 20. Such agraphical representation may facilitate the controller 110 in trackingthe food products 18 as they are received by the food preparationappliance 10 and during processing. As shown in FIG. 7, the controller110 is configured to track a plurality of different food products 18 asthey move through the food preparation appliance 10 by the foodprocessing mechanism 20. Such tracking may facilitate providing zoneheating or cooling throughout the processing zone 26 such that multipledifferent types of food products 18 may be processed simultaneously.

As shown in FIG. 7, the food processing mechanism 20 has received afirst food product 18 a (e.g., a plain bagel, etc.), a second foodproduct 18 b (e.g., a slice of white bread, etc.), a third food product18 c (e.g., an onion bagel, etc.), and a fourth food product 18 d (e.g.,a slice of Italian bread, etc.). The processing zone 26 is split intovarious zones defined by column A, column B, row 1, row 2, and row 3(e.g., zone 1A, zone 2A, zone 3A, zone 1B, zone 2B, zone 3B, etc.). Inother embodiments, the processing zone 26 has more or fewer zones (e.g.,one column, three columns, one row, two rows, four rows, etc.).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the speed of the food processingmechanism 20 in each column may be individually controlled (e.g., theprocessing mechanism includes two or more independent conveyors 22,etc.) and/or the temperature of each zone may be individually controlled(e.g., the thermal element includes two or more independent thermalelements 30, etc.). The controller 110 may therefore be configured toselectively adjust the speed of each column of the food processingmechanism 20 (e.g., column A of the conveyor 22, column B of theconveyor 22, etc.) and/or the temperature of each zone (e.g., zone 1A,zone 2A, zone 3A, zone 1B, zone 2B, zone 3B, etc.). As such, thecontroller 110 may variably adjust operating parameters based on thepositions of various food products relative to each other such that eachfood product is processed as needed. As an example, zone 1A with thesecond food product 18 b may be operating at a different temperaturethan zone 2A with the third food product 18 c. As another example,column A with the second food product 18 b and the third food product 18c may be moving at a different speed than column B with the fourth foodproduct 18 d. The controller 110 may be further configured to adaptivelyadjust the operating parameters (e.g., speed, temperature, etc.) of eachof the zones as the food products 18 in each zone change over time(e.g., move through the food preparation appliance 10, as new foodproducts 18 are introduced, etc.).

According to one exemplary embodiment, the controller 110 of the foodpreparation appliance 10 is configured to implement a recurrent neuralnetwork (“RNN”) (e.g., through TensorFlow, etc.). The RNN runs a modelthat may be capable of differentiating up to 1,000 or more differentcategories of objects, and therefore distinguish objects from eachother. The RNN model may thereby be trained to identify the various foodproducts 18 that the food preparation appliance 10 may encounter byproviding various images of the possible food products 18 to the RNN. Byway of example, the RNN may be provided a sufficient quantity of imagesof various food products 18 (e.g., training data, etc.) that isseparated within appropriately labeled folders within the RNN (e.g.,category folders, sub-category folders, etc.), and then provided asufficient number of unclassified images to learn (e.g., validationdata, etc.) until a desired accuracy is achieved. Once the desiredaccuracy is achieved, the RNN may be uploaded to the controller 110 ofvarious food preparation appliances 10.

To achieve the desired accuracy, the RNN separates the provided imagesinto two categories—training data and validation data. If only thetraining data were used, the RNN would not learn, but simply memorizeimages. The RNN is configured to take the images of the training dataand apply various convolution filters to them. The convolution filtersmay stretch, crop, multiply, make subtractions, etc. to the images ofthe training data, which may then be stored in a primary data type ofthe RNN. The primary data may be used by the RNN to identify patterns toclassify objects inside of an image during operation. The RNN is thenconfigured to take the images of the validation data and apply thevarious convolution filters to them and then guess the food product 18that is within the image. Throughout this process, the RNN learns withconvolutions and transformations are the most effective for each objecttype, and then stores this data as floating point “weights.” This datais then compiled into a graph file. If the data size of the graph fileis sufficiently large, the weights may be rounded to provide asignificant decrease in file size while minimally affecting performance.

By way of example, the RNN training model may be deployed on a RaspberryPi3 board equipped with a camera. The camera may be used to captureimages to which the Raspberry Pi3 board will make “guesses” regardingwhat object is in the image based on the training data. When a positiverecognition of an object is returned, a larger quantity of images willbe taken immediately (e.g., a dozen or more, etc.), which may then beclassified and an average confidence percentage determined. Thisinformation can then be communicated to the controller 110 forimplementation during operation of the food preparation unit 10. In someembodiments, with sufficient training and quality images, the foodrecognition capability for numerous different food categories may exceed94% accuracy.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a method 800 for automatically settingoperating parameters of a food preparation appliance is shown, accordingto an exemplary embodiment. At step 802, a food preparation appliance(e.g., the food preparation appliance 10, the line conveyor oven 50, theconveyor toaster 52, the toaster 54, the toaster oven 56, the microwaveoven 58, etc.) receives a food product (e.g., the food product 18, etc.)for processing (e.g., warming, heating, cooking, toasting, broiling,baking, cooling, freezing, etc.). As step 804, a sensor system (e.g.,the food recognition device 120, etc.) is configured to acquire data(e.g., identifying data, etc.) regarding identifying characteristics ofthe food product.

At step 806, a controller (e.g., the controller 110, etc.) is configuredto determine a category, type, and/or class of the food product based onthe data. By way of example, the controller may be configured to comparethe data to predefined characteristics for food products to determinethe category, type, and/or class of the food product. Step 808 may beoptional. At step 808, the controller is configured to determine asub-category, a sub-type, and/or a sub-class of the food product basedon the data. At step 810, the controller is configured to set operatingparameters of the food preparation appliance at which the food productwill be processed at based on at least one of (i) the category, type,and/or class of the food product and (ii) the sub-category, sub-type,and/or sub-class of the food product. In some embodiments, the operatingparameters are additionally set based on an indication of a desireddoneness for the food product.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to receive second data(e.g., processing data, etc.) regarding processing characteristics ofthe food product. The controller may be configured to alter or modifythe current operating parameters of the food preparation applianceand/or the predefined operating parameters of the food preparationappliance for future uses based on the processing characteristics.

As utilized herein, the terms “approximately”, “about”, “substantially”,and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony withthe common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art towhich the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should beunderstood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure thatthese terms are intended to allow a description of certain featuresdescribed and claimed without restricting the scope of these features tothe precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms shouldbe interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequentialmodifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimedare considered to be within the scope of the invention as recited in theappended claims.

It should be noted that the term “exemplary” as used herein to describevarious embodiments is intended to indicate that such embodiments arepossible examples, representations, and/or illustrations of possibleembodiments (and such term is not intended to connote that suchembodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).

The terms “coupled,” “connected,” and the like, as used herein, mean thejoining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Suchjoining may be stationary (e.g., permanent) or moveable (e.g.,removable, releasable, etc.). Such joining may be achieved with the twomembers or the two members and any additional intermediate members beingintegrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with thetwo members or the two members and any additional intermediate membersbeing attached to one another.

References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,”“above,” “below,” etc.) are merely used to describe the orientation ofvarious elements in the figures. It should be noted that the orientationof various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments,and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the presentdisclosure.

Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in itsexclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list ofelements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in thelist. Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, andZ,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood withthe context as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may beeither X, Y, Z, X and Y, X and Z, Y and Z, or X, Y, and Z (i.e., anycombination of X, Y, and Z). Thus, such conjunctive language is notgenerally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at leastone of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z to each be present,unless otherwise indicated.

It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of theelements of the systems and methods as shown in the exemplaryembodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described in detail, those skilled inthe art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that manymodifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values ofparameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example,elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple partsor elements. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies ofthe components described herein may be constructed from any of a widevariety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, inany of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of the present inventions. Other substitutions, modifications,changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions,and arrangement of the preferred and other exemplary embodiments withoutdeparting from scope of the present disclosure or from the spirit of theappended claims.

1. A food preparation appliance comprising: a housing defining an inlet,an outlet, and a processing zone between the inlet and the outlet; aconveyor configured to move a food product from the inlet, through theprocessing zone, and to the outlet; a thermal element positioned withinthe processing zone; a first sensor positioned proximate the inlet ofthe housing and along a lateral side of the conveyor or along a firstcantilever arm extending laterally across the conveyor, the first sensorconfigured acquire pre-processing data regarding a pre-processingcharacteristic of the food product to be processed by the foodpreparation appliance; a second sensor positioned within the processingzone, the second sensor configured to acquire processing data regardingan in-process characteristic of the food product; a third sensorpositioned proximate the outlet of the housing and along a lateral sideof the conveyor or along a second cantilever arm extending laterallyacross the conveyor, the third sensor configured to acquirepost-processing data regarding a post-processing characteristic of thefood product.
 2. The food preparation appliance of claim 1, wherein thefirst sensor is positioned along the lateral side of the conveyor. 3.The food preparation appliance of claim 1, further comprising the firstcantilever arm, wherein the first sensor is positioned along the firstcantilever arm.
 4. The food preparation appliance of claim 1, whereinthe third sensor is positioned along the lateral side of the conveyor.5. The food preparation appliance of claim 1, further comprising thesecond cantilever arm, wherein the third sensor is positioned along thesecond cantilever arm.
 6. The food preparation appliance of claim 1,further comprising a controller having programmed instructions to:receive the pre-processing data from the first sensor; identify a typeof the food product based on the pre-processing data; automatically setan operating parameter of at least one of the conveyor or the thermalelement for target processing of the food product based on the type;receive the processing data from the second sensor regarding thein-process characteristic of the food product; adaptively adjust theoperating parameter during processing of the food product in response tothe in-process characteristic indicating that the food product is beingprocessed too slowly or too quickly; receive the post-processing datafrom the third sensor regarding the post-processing characteristic ofthe food product; and adjust the operating parameter based on thepost-processing characteristic of the food product for future processingof a similar food product.
 7. The food preparation appliance of claim 6,wherein the target processing includes at least one of a target amountof cooking, heating, warming, toasting, cooling, or freezing of the foodproduct.
 8. The food preparation appliance of claim 6, wherein theoperating parameter includes at least one of a processing time, atemperature of the thermal element, or a speed of the conveyor.
 9. Thefood preparation appliance of claim 6, wherein the pre-processingcharacteristic includes at least one of a size, a weight, a temperature,a shape, a color, a texture, a nutrition content, or a number ofportions of the food product entering the food preparation appliance.10. The food preparation appliance of claim 6, wherein at least one ofthe in-process characteristic or the post-processing characteristicincludes at least one of a change in size, a change in weight, a changein temperature, a change in shape, a change in color, or a change intexture of the food product.
 11. The food preparation appliance of claim1, wherein the food preparation appliance is configured to provideindependent zone processing such that multiple food products can beprocessed simultaneously with different operating parameters as theconveyor moves the multiple food products through the processing zonesimultaneously.
 12. A food preparation appliance comprising: a housingdefining an inlet, an outlet, and a processing zone between the inletand the outlet; a conveyor; a sensor; a heating element positionedwithin the processing zone, wherein at least one of (i) the conveyorincludes a plurality of independently controllable conveyors arrangedside-by-side or (ii) the heating element includes a plurality ofindependently controllable heating elements; and a controller havingprogrammed instructions to: receive data from the sensor regarding aplurality of food products on the conveyor to facilitate tracking theplurality of food products as the plurality of food products are movedthrough the processing zone simultaneously by the conveyor, the dataincluding information regarding (i) a respective type of each of theplurality of food products and (ii) a positioning of the plurality offood products relative to one another; and variably control operation ofat least one of the conveyor or the heating element based on the data tofacilitate variably processing the plurality of food products as theplurality of food products are moved through the processing zonesimultaneously by the conveyor to achieve target processing for each ofthe plurality of food products.
 13. The food preparation appliance ofclaim 12, wherein the sensor includes at least one of a scanner, acamera, a temperature sensor, or a scale.
 14. The food preparationappliance of claim 12, wherein the data includes a characteristic of theplurality of food products including at least one of a size, a weight, atemperature, a shape, a color, a texture, a nutrition content, or anumber of portions of the plurality of food products.
 15. The foodpreparation appliance of claim 12, wherein the sensor is positionedwithin the processing zone.
 16. The food preparation appliance of claim12, wherein the sensor includes a plurality of sensors including: afirst sensor positioned proximate the inlet of the housing; a secondsensor positioned within the processing zone; and a third sensorpositioned proximate the outlet of the housing.
 17. The food preparationappliance of claim 16, wherein the first sensor is positioned along alateral side of the conveyor or along a cantilever arm extendinglaterally across the conveyor.
 18. The food preparation appliance ofclaim 16, wherein the third sensor is positioned along a lateral side ofthe conveyor or along a cantilever arm extending laterally across theconveyor.
 19. A food preparation appliance comprising: a housingdefining an inlet, an outlet, and a processing zone between the inletand the outlet; a conveyor configured to move food products from theinlet, through the processing zone, and to the outlet; and a heatingelement positioned within the processing zone; wherein the conveyor andthe heating element are configured to facilitate providing independentzone processing such that multiple food products can be processedsimultaneously with different operating parameters as the conveyor movesthe multiple food products through the processing zone simultaneously.20. The food preparation appliance of claim 19, wherein the conveyorincludes a plurality of independently controllable conveyors arrangedside-by-side and the heating element includes a plurality ofindependently controllable heating elements.